The Truth About Hypnosis Credentials
Q: How can I know if a hypnotist has valid credentials?
A: Simple --- there is no such thing.
There are no hypnosis-specific credentials that mean anything. Hypnosis certifications are about as valuable and meaningful as any certificate you could print out using your inkjet printer at home.
As a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, I follow the NGH Code of Ethics. Part of this involves educating the public so that you can cut through misleading hype and confusion.
I am certified by various organizations, but I know the reality about those pretty pieces of paper. They are not recognized by legal authorities or legitimate academic institutions, and they shouldn't be, since they can often be "earned" by passing a multiple-choice test a couple of pages long, as long as the membership fee is paid.
The hypnosis training industry churns out all kinds of certifications to people eager to buy them, including "board" certifications (which mean nothing, since there is no state licensing board), and "instructor" certifications which permit people to sell certification courses to other people, and so on and so on.
Here's an uncomfortable open secret within the hypnotist community: since most are unable to work with clients on a regular basis, many decide to become instructors and trainers, and turn to selling highly-profitable certification courses instead!
If you're interested in learning about the subject, see the FAQ item about recommended training.
Be Skeptical of Impressive Titles and Claims!
The fact is, anyone can give themselves a title like "Elite Grand Master Clinical Hypnotherapist" in order to impress people, even if their only experience with hypnosis is practicing on friends and relatives as a hobby!
You should be aware that in Pennsylvania and in most other states, hypnosis is not a state-licensed profession. That just means it's not licensed in the same way that accountants, medical doctors or social workers are (for example).
In the United States, there is no such thing as a Bachelors, Masters or Ph.D. in hypnosis or hypnotherapy from a legitimately accredited institution. Anyone with the ability to write a check can buy a "Doctorate of Clinical Hypnotherapy" (DCH).
This also means that there is no such thing as a hypnotist being a "faculty member" (unless they actually do have a teaching degree in another subject). When a hypnotist says that they are "on the teaching faculty", what they usually mean is that they were among a couple hundred people who signed up to give an unpaid one-hour speech at an annual hypnosis convention.
In rarer cases, what they mean is that they held a workshop or non-credit adult education course at a community center. I think you'd agree that these are not what a member of the general public would assume when someone claims that they are a "faculty member"!
While it may give someone an ego-boost to pretend in this way, it is misleading. It's also unfair to people who earn genuine degrees and credentials from years of hard work and dedication.
Note: there are legitimate licensed medical, psychological and counseling professionals who use hypnosis as part of their practice. Please read further, to learn about resources where you can verify claims about credentials, if you want to find a traditional mental healthcare therapist or counselor who may use hypnosis.
Unfortunately, it's easy for anyone to buy degrees (in many different subjects) from diploma mills. When consulting a hypnotist or hypnotherapist who presents themselves as a "Dr." or "Ph.D.", you may want to ask them about the nature of their credential.
Generally, if someone explicitly states that they are a state-licensed psychologist or counselor, you can be fairly certain that they are. Even hypnotists who use misleading credentials usually know better than to make that kind of claim; they just use initials or titles that appear impressive but don't mean anything.
Q: Someone told me they are a "licensed hypnotist". What's that about?
A: It probably means that they have a standard business license as required by their city or county... just like I do, and just like the hot dog vendor on the corner does (hopefully). That's probably not what you as a consumer would expect it to mean.
It's unlikely that a state-licensed medical doctor or psychologist or counselor would represent themselves as a "licensed hypnotist".
Literally anyone can setup an impressive-sounding accrediting agency at their kitchen table and then call themselves a "fully-accredited" school --- in other words, they accredit themselves. Then they sell these so-called accredited degrees to people who sometimes truly believe that they've earned a doctorate or Ph.D. by studying at home over the course of a few weekends.
The US Department of Education maintains a website where you can check if a school which claims to offer academic degrees is approved by a legitimate accrediting agency: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx
***
To be clear: I am a hypnotist, not a Doctor. Being a professional hypnotist does not qualify anyone to diagnose or treat medical or psychological conditions, unless they are also a state-licensed professional. If you have been formally diagnosed with a disorder or medical condition, I will need a written referral from your healthcare provider to assist you directly with that condition. Contact me for details regarding the referral procedure.
By the same token, a medical doctor, psychologist or therapist does not necessarily have more knowledge, experience or training about hypnosis.
Still, there are legitimate licensed medical, psychological and counseling professionals who use hypnosis as part of their practice.
If you are struggling with a serious psychological disorder and are interested in hypnosis as an option, you may be better served by seeking help from a more broadly trained mental healthcare professional. This is the website of the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis (GPSCH). They are a good resource for people who want to find psychologists, social workers, and medical professionals who use hypnosis as part of their treatment.
The Pennsylvania Department of State maintains a website where you can verify a licensed healthcare professional's status if they practice in Pennsylvania: http://www.licensepa.state.pa.us/. When searching by a person's name, remember that a name may be kept in the state's database with a different spelling. You can also lookup a professional by their state-issued license number.
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Whether or not someone is a state-licensed doctor is not necessarily the best indicator of whether they are a good hypnotist who can help you solve your problem. However, you should be careful of anyone who presents themselves as a doctor when they are not.
People in the "alternative medicine" field will often excuse the fraudulent use of "Doctor" titles, by claiming that traditional medicine and therapy do not have all the answers, and are not the only paths to helping people. I agree, and so would many traditional health-care professionals. But you have to wonder: then why would anyone feel a need to use a fake title that implies being part of that traditional health-care or academic establishment, when they are not?
Why Am I Rocking the Boat?
People should have the freedom to choose what kind of person they work with to solve a problem --- whether it is a traditional licensed mental health professional, or a voodoo priest, or a pastor in their community, or an urban shaman, or personal coach. But that freedom is only meaningful when the consumer is informed in a truthful and transparent manner.
As you can imagine, some folks who use degrees from diploma mills are not too happy with this information being shared with the public. Why am I making a big deal about this? After all, I could easily play along and buy a degree too. Simple:
- Having people go around "playing doctor" is a threat to the long-term interests of the profession. I believe there is nothing more damaging to the field than the prevalence of meaningless titles and credentials that are churned out by the hypnosis training industry.
- Someone could get hurt if they were misled into following advice by a "doctor" whose background consists mainly of watching Dr. Phil and looking stuff up on Google.
- It's unfair to people who have earned legitimate degrees.
- I know that hypnosis is a powerful and effective tool, and it's a shame that these fake degrees and laughable titles make people even more doubtful of something that could be so useful to them.
These problems have led to a field full of Master Hypnotists who have never hypnotized anyone, instructors who have never run an active practice, and Doctors of Hypnotherapy who brag about never having completed high school (incredible but true).
I can say these things because hypnotists know this is the truth. Although most are basically honest people, most are also afraid of offending other practitioners and getting the "hypnosis community" upset at them. But I believe educating the public about the truth is more important than protecting the feelings of fellow practitioners; this is the best way to bring about positive change!
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I recently received an email from someone who had signed up for a hypnosis course and expressed disappointment because of her experience, mainly because she felt that the instructor had misrepresented their credentials. She wondered if the information on this page was specifically about that instructor. Here is my response to her:
The information on my website is not specifically about [any one individual]. It is just a general note of caution to make people aware.
For more information on this subject by a couple of leaders in the hypnosis field, check out:
http://www.tomnicoli.com/blog/2007/06/07/hypnotists-and-credentials-what-a-business/
and
http://www.calbanyan.com/archives/2008/03/05/rev-giles-on-real-v-fake-credentials/
Sorry to hear about your disappointment. I've taken classes where I had the same reaction too. All I could suggest is try to make the best of it and focus on whatever positive learnings you can get from the experience. Just because someone uses a questionable degree (which they may genuinely believe in themselves) doesn't mean they don't have anything valuable to offer.
So, the information on this page is not just about any one specific individual (I was unfamiliar with the person she was referring to), but it can be seen that this is a problem in general, and something to be aware of if you want to make an informed choice.
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Some trainers encourage their students to respond to questions like "How long have you been doing this?" with the non-answer: "Oh, I've been interested in it for years." Well, that's great. I've been interested in spaceships since I was little... but that doesn't mean I've flown the space shuttle.
Most "certified hypnotists" treat this as a hobby or part-time diversion, mainly reading books or attending workshops about the subject. Then when they have retired from their normal career, or found themselves out of work, they set themselves up as Master Hypnotists with decades of experience, and they try to become workshop instructors themselves.
There is no substitute for real world experience with a wide variety of clients and issues. Make sure the hypnotist you choose is as serious about hypnosis as their profession, as you are about getting your problem solved.
Here are some questions you may want to ask in order to evaluate a potential service provider:
- Do they earn most of their living from working with individual clients?
- Do they have a dedicated hypnosis office, or do they run sessions in a spare bedroom or office that they rent out by the hour?
- In what kind of cases would they recommend not proceeding? This is important because the answer will indicate whether or not they have the experience to understand their limitations. Run away fast from anyone who says "I can help everyone with everything!"
Here is the interesting thing: as mentioned in the FAQ page, a newer hypnotist, as long as they are well-trained, can be just as effective at helping people solve basic problems, as compared to an old-timer. So don't assume that someone who claims to have decades of experience will be better at helping you.
Use common sense: be cautious of working with anyone who feels a need to lie to you in order to get you as a client. Personally, I would rather work with someone who was just getting started and was open and honest about it!
Many people justify the use of inflated credentials and exaggerated claims by telling themselves: "But I'm just trying to make my clients feel more confident about working with me."
I'm sorry, but this is the lamest sort of self-serving excuse. If a hypnotist (or any professional) feels a need to lie about their background and experience in order to project confidence, then personally I question their confidence and belief in themselves and even in the work itself.
Although it is true that people do better when they are confident in the hypnotist's skill and ability to help, that hardly justifies committing fraud and pretending it's for a good cause. The worst aspect of this kind of fraud: it is stealing from the consumer their opportunity to make an informed choice. That is theft, plain and simple, of something that is even more valuable than money!
I support and respect people's right to seek help from any source that suits them, even if it is not me. That is why I included the links earlier to the referral sites where you can get connected to other hypnotists in your area and evaluate your options. When people have good experiences with any hypnotist, it is good for the entire field!
But it is an entirely different thing if someone chooses a hypnotist based on inflated credentials and false promises, and then feels as if they have been misled.
I was not always this crazy about this issue. But when I started working with clients, many of them would describe previous experiences that left them feeling as if they had been tricked. I realized that these clients were only the ones who were willing to give hypnosis another try... and for each one of them, there must be several others who decided the whole thing is a sham!
Bottom line:
Be skeptical and use your brain
Google is your friend
Don't believe the hype.
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As you can tell, I find the amount of nonsense in this field to be kind of irritating. You can check out my articles in the quarterly Hypnosis.org e-zine for more information on this subject, if you're interested.
Hypnosis cannot, and should not, stand alone as the sole medical or psychological intervention for any disorder. Hypnosis should not be used instead of appropriate medical, dental, or psychological treatment, and any individual with a medical or psychological problem should first consult a qualified health care provider for diagnosis and professional advice.
- National Guild of Hypnotists
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